ROUND 14 - 02.08.25
REBELS ON A ROLL!
It was Ladies’ Day and Sponsors’ Day in Byron Bay on Saturday, and what a day it was! The Casino Bulls had forfeited in men’s second grade, so the first match of the afternoon was the Women’s 10s. The Casino Women’s team is at the top of the table and our women knew that this would be a tough encounter, but they were ready for it.
There could be no clearer demonstration of how far the Rebels have come this season than the way they took the fight to Casino in front of our home crowd. In the first round, Casino dominated the game and ran out comfortable winners. This time around the two teams seemed to be evenly matched in all facets of the game.
It was a see-sawing encounter. Each time Casino scored, the Rebels struck back. Both teams provided moments of brilliant rugby, from bone-jarring tackles to lightning fast attacking runs. In the end, the see-saw just tipped in favour of Casino with a four tries to three victory, 24 – 15. A couple of different refereeing decisions and a luckier bounce of the ball and the outcome could have been even closer.
Best on field for the Rebels were Captain Fantastic, Shyanne Appleby, who put on a tackling masterclass, our points-scoring machine, Faith Taylor, who scored all three tries, and the inspirational Marsanne Chabert who played out of her normal position and had an absolute blinder.
Both the men’s second grade and the women’s teams are now locked in for the finals. For the first grade side, this was a make-or-break game. The Rebels had to beat Casino to give themselves a clear track into the finals. Lose, and that track was closed. Given the importance of the game, more than a few people were rubbing their eyes in disbelief when the teams took the field. Was that the world’s tallest half-back and the world’s slowest winger running on for the Rebels?
Their eyes weren’t playing tricks – Coach Mick Muir did indeed have the number 9 jersey on, and Luke Phillip was wearing 14. It was almost certainly the first time either of them had ever played in the backs.
It may have seemed crazy, but there was method in the madness. The complex and arcane rules around player qualification meant that some of our players couldn’t start in the first grade game without risking their eligibility to play in the second grade finals series. So, some creativity with the use of substitutes was required for this match. Much to the relief of everyone, especially Mick and Luke, there was a scrum called after only a minute’s play and they were both subbed off the field. Will Hawkins and Luke Cleaver ran on, and normal service was resumed.
It had been a very disrupted and emotional week for the Rebels, with the Club playing a central part in Campo’s funeral, leading the funeral procession down the main street of Bangalow and giving Campo the send-off he deserved. Training had been called off. Maybe that disrupted preparation was a factor in a slightly scrappy first half performance from the Rebels.
Our men dominated territory for the first fifteen minutes but missed out on two early try-scoring opportunities before Casino kicked long and a wicked bounce of the rugby ball put fullback Sam Valpy under pressure not far from our line. The Bulls regained possession, moved it wide, and were rewarded with the first try of the game down the far touch line.
The rest of the first half continued as an even contest, with both sides guilty of occasional handling and defensive lapses, plus some unforced errors. (Nobody mention the number of our penalty kicks that went dead or failed to find touch…) But there were also some passages of high-quality rugby. Will Aisake carried the ball strongly all game and was rewarded with a try in the 24 th minute. Sam Reid continued his good form and high work rate, crossing for the Rebels second try just before halftime. At the break Casino was up 17 -14 and the game was wide open.
The second half started in similar fashion. Casino threatened to score early but were held up over the line, then play moved up and down the field with neither side able to take control. But something was shifting for the Rebels. With the crowd chanting “Rebels! Rebels!” from the sideline our men seemed to find another gear. The referee was unsighted when Reece Bartlett crossed the line and ruled that the ball had been held up. A video review, had one been available, would have shown otherwise. Not to worry, because shortly after that Rhys Kearton crashed over in the corner, Sam Valpy converted the try and the Rebels were in front for the first time in the game.
Momentum was now firmly with the Rebels. Time and again they made inroads into the Bull’s 22 and threatened to cross the try line. Sam Reid was able to do just that with another strong run to score his second try for the match, then Sam Valpy put the icing on the cake with the Rebel’s fifth try just before full time. When the final whistle blew, the Rebels had outscored Casino 21 – 0 in the second half to bring home an emphatic victory, 35 – 14.
That bonus point win almost certainly secures a finals berth for the first grade team, meaning that all three of our senior teams are finals-bound. It’s been anything but an easy road to this point, but now the Rebels are on a roll!
Written by David Phillips
